Pakistani people transfer a body from the suicide blast site in northwest Pakistan's Bannu on Monday. Photo: Xinhua

Police say militants have attacked a police station in northwestern Pakistan, killing six people.

Senior police officer Waqar Ahmed says the militants began Monday’s attack by firing a rocket at the gate of the police station in Bannu city and then tossing grenades. The battle went on for more than an hour.

Ahmed says three policemen and three civilians were killed in the attack. The civilians were coming out of a nearby mosque when they were shot by the militants. Eight people were wounded, including three policemen and five civilians.

Three militants were killed during the attack and one escaped.

Bannu is a gateway to the North Waziristan tribal area, the main hub for Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan, and has experienced repeated attacks.